Introduction
Keeping track of what textbooks have been assigned to which students can be made much easier by using your ILS. Here are some ways in which this can be done:
Cataloging Textbooks: You can enter each title into your ILS’ database and add copies to each title. If your ILS allows you to search other libraries’ databases to copy their records, that will be helpful to you. Surpass Cloud allows you to choose from over 400 databases, including numerous K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
You can also choose to enter information about your textbooks manually, possibly using a form such as those found in Surpass Cloud. It should be a simple process to add as many copies as needed to the resource record.
Distributing Textbooks
Instead of keeping a paper or other document listing the textbook information and which student has been assigned each copy, you can circulate the textbooks with your ILS. Loan rules can be set up so that the student can keep the textbook for the entire term. Surpass Cloud allows you to exclude categories from overall loan limits, so textbooks on loan to a student won’t stop them from checking out other materials.
If your ILS allows you to grant limited permissions to users in the administrative module, this will allow you to give teachers the ability to check the textbooks out and in. Surpass Cloud allows customizable Roles to be created to give users permissions to perform the tasks they need.
Tracking Condition
Your library system can be used to track the condition of an item. You can do this via a notes field or a built-in condition tracking feature such as the one in Surpass Cloud. This will enable you to verify whether a book was already damaged at the time it was issued to the student or if the damage occurred afterward. You can also use Surpass Cloud’s tracking feature to set fees for ripped pages, writing in books, etc. to be charged to a student’s account.
Reminders and Overdues
Instead of contacting each student individually to remind them of the due dates of texts or to return overdue items, the Notice feature can be used for this purpose. This will be much quicker and will ensure that no student is missed in this process. Surpass Cloud allows you to see when a notice was sent and the text of the notice in the patron record, so you can confirm that it was sent to the student and/or parent.
Conclusion
By entering your textbooks into your library system and circulating them like other books, you can easily track who has them. You can also use your ILS to make tracking their condition and sending notices to students and parents much easier. Your ILS can save you a lot of work and free up your time.
About Surpass
Surpass Cloud is the easy-to-use, cloud-based library management system for libraries of all types and sizes. Whether you’re a school, church, museum, business, or any other organization with resources to lend, Surpass is likely a good fit for you. We pride ourselves on being affordable and flexible, with an expert support team ready to help you at a moment’s notice.
Schedule a free demo to see Surpass in action.
